EDUCATION IS KEY TO HELPING ANIMALS AND THEIR OWNERS AND FOR CHANGING ANIMAL WELFARE IN THE WORLD!
Sadly, most people don’t spend nearly enough time educating themselves on how to improve their pets’ lives or how to help other animals or animal welfare organizations. Below you can find a summary of many of the animal topics in this ANIMALS 101 series from the past 18 months. This is the final summary of the three and it focuses on the safety of your animals. Read parts one & part two.
HOW SAFE ARE YOUR ANIMALS:
- From getting out of the yard?
- In and around your house?
- When they are home alone?
- When you are travelling or on holiday?
- In an emergency?
- When they are around your kids?
FROM GETTING OUT OF YOUR YARD
We already shared how to SECURE YOUR YARD for jumpers, climbers, runners, diggers chewers and more. We also addressed how important MICROCHIPS are for your pets & how to register them.
Why do you think we advocate for keeping all animals, including cats, safe in your yard? We live in a cruel, unforgiving and sick world. If you think the streets are not safe for your kids, why would you let your pets roam the streets? There are many creative ways to KEEP YOUR CAT SAFE in your yard.
There is an increase in the theft of cats and dogs everywhere! Your pets are your responsibility and protecting them from being stolen should be a priority. You can do this more effectively if you understand the why & how of PET THEFT!
Please let your pets sleep inside your home. They are not responsible for protecting you, but you should protect them. When they sleep inside, both your family and your pets are safer. Dr. Rudolph Zinn from UNISA’s School of Criminal Justice conducted research into understanding and preventing house robbery in South Africa. Based on in-depth interviews with convicted robbers, dogs that sleep inside are one of the biggest deterrents for criminals.
IN & AROUND YOUR HOUSE
Poisoning of animals can be just malicious or it can be closely related to planned break-ins. It is important to know, in advance, what to do if this happens or how to minimize the risk. POISONING is probably one of the worse deaths a pet can experience. Get your poison rescue packs from the local animal welfare organizations and the SPCA. It can buy minutes which might mean the difference between life and death.
A requirement for your pets, required by law, includes that they must be protected from the elements. Here are some tips for HOT WEATHER & COLD WEATHER.
Mismanaged trash has a devastating effect on the environment, but also creates a high risk of injury or death to your animals and others. Even though you might throw your trash in the garbage bin, where they land eventually can still impact the environment and hurt animals. Here are some things you can do, when DISPOSING OF LITTER in your garbage bin, to prevent other animals from suffering.
How many owners have just given bones to their dogs without thinking about it? Even though there might be some BONES that are relatively safe, bones are meant for recreation, not as food. When and how you give your dog a bone also matters. The basics are uncooked, large bones, supervised, for 10 -15 minutes 2 x per week.
WHEN THEY ARE ALONE AT HOME
Although through COVID-19 many pets have had their owners around more often, we understand that you can’t be with your pet all the time. How long they are left ALONE AT HOME, however, includes various factors. Sadly, we can share many horror stories of what happened to pets while owners were away or how many people will go away for days with no one checking in on them. This is highly irresponsible! They are your responsibility and you chose to be their guardian.
DURING THE HOLIDAYS
The holiday is just around the corner and many people who go away, either take their animals with them or leave them behind. Either way, you need to plan and take safety precautions for all your animals.
Travelling with your animal family members can create wonderful memories, but it’s not always easy. Make sure you’re well-prepared before you hit the road. There are many things to consider before you take your PET ON A ROAD TRIP, including the temperament, size & safety of your pet.
Whether at home or WITH YOU ON HOLIDAY, make sure your animals are up-to-date with all vaccinations, deworming, and tick and flea treatments. Microchip your pet and make sure it is registered on multiple databases and working before you leave as well as include a collar ID. Make sure your plan for your animals is clearly stated in your will if something happens to you.
Few additional resources for BEACH (or lake) safety, when HIKING and POOL SAFETY.
Christmas is almost here and you can feel the excitement in the air. A Christmas tree is a holiday staple for many homes, but are you aware of the dangers it poses for pets? Here are some tips for the CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS as well as some EASTER SAFETY tips.
Remember that Christmas and easter gifts should never include live animals!
IN AN EMERGENCY
Knowing what to do during an animal emergency can be the difference between life and death. When your animals suffer an injury or poisoning, knowing what FIRST AID to do can have a massive impact on their recovery, safety and comfort. This is an important topic with much more to learn, but we touch on some of the basics.
Your pets are important members of your family, so they need to be included in your family’s EMERGENCY PLAN. To prepare for the unexpected follow these tips with your pets in mind:
- Make a plan.
- Build an emergency kit.
- Stay informed.
Do you have a FIRE ESCAPE PLAN which includes your pets?
Never tie up animals, especially not in extreme weather or potential floods/fire.
AROUND YOUR KIDS
Many of us grew up with the tale of the rabbit and the tortoise, with a good life lesson in it, however, this lesson didn’t include how to care for them or HOW TO HANDLE THESE CREATURES physically. We do not support keeping tortoises or rabbits as pets and especially not for kids. One of the biggest reasons for this is because there are very specific ways in which they should be handled and doing it wrong can be fatal!
CHOOSING A PET FOR YOUR CHILD is a big decision and not one to be taken lightly! Pets are a great way to learn responsibility and compassion, however, it should never be at the expense of an animal and parents should be very involved in the care.
Learning to spot the signs and teaching your children how to behave around pets is important when it comes to interactions between dogs & children. Children need to learn how to BEHAVE SAFELY near dogs and other animals. Dog bites are 100% preventable and the dog didn’t just bite out of nowhere……you missed all the signs and didn’t step in.
Your animals are your responsibility and keeping them safe is an important part of it. We also train our animals to keep them safe.
Next week we will look at energy levels and your pets.
WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER, DO BETTER!
